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<div><h1 class="article-title">How do I post a topic in Conversations?</h1></div>
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  <div id="text-content_f7758979-61b0-4bb6-b867-6fffadb68037" class="text-block-content">
    <p>Depending on your permissions within the Conversations tool, you may not see all of the topic options shown below. For example, if you don't have grading permission, you won't be able to see the grade options.</p>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="go-to-the-conversations-tool">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Go to the Conversations tool.</h2>
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      <img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/009/339/645/original/e3cf2d1c-990b-4099-8f04-32472df64527.png" alt="" height="117" width="175">
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  <div id="text-content_CB66CB21-460B-4B33-AAD4-E3E0C5B152C3" class="text-block-content">
    <p>Select the <strong>Conversations</strong> tool from the Tool Menu of your site. </p>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="click-create-new-topic">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Click Create new topic.</h2>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="select-the-topic-type">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Select the Topic Type.</h2>
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  <div id="text-content_be505dd3-e546-426c-8aec-47b108d627ba" class="text-block-content">
    <p>You may choose to add a <strong>Question</strong> topic, or a <strong>Discussion</strong> topic. </p>
<p>Question topics are designed for posting questions that require an answer.</p>
<p>Discussion topics are designed for more structured interactions where site members respond to one another within a thread of discussion.</p>
<p>Choose the topic type that best fits your question or discussion prompt. The selected type is highlighted in blue.</p>
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  <div id="text-content_27970e8c-c26e-456c-951a-8934fa1d75d4" class="text-block-content">
    <ol>
<li>Question topics display a question icon (<strong>This is a question topic</strong>) near the title of the topic.</li>
<li>Discussion topics display a speech bubble icon (<strong>This is a discussion topic</strong>) near the title of the topic.</li>
</ol>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="give-your-topic-a-title">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Give your topic a title.</h2>
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      <img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/009/339/648/original/24e5e738-c5ef-4304-b111-80c977e37b99.png" alt="" height="115" width="793">
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="in-the-details-field-enter-a-question-or-a-discussion-prompt">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">In the Details field, enter a question or a discussion prompt.</h2>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="add-tags-optional">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Add Tags (Optional)</h2>
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  <div id="text-content_70f734f4-198f-4e83-a601-83584a1be5cc" class="text-block-content">
    <p>In the <strong>Tag topic </strong>area, optionally attach a topic tag and click <strong>Add</strong>.</p>
<p>If there are no tags available, or if you would like to add new tags, select the <strong>Edit tags for this course button</strong>. See <a href="content.hlp?docId=howdoimanagetagsinconversations">How do I manage tags in Conversations?</a> for more information.</p>
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        <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-2" id="tags-will-appear-below-the-drop-down-menu-once-they-have-been-added-to-a-topic">
    <h3 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Tags will appear below the drop down menu once they have been added to a topic.</h3>
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  <div id="text-content_a725141f-b7e6-4dc5-b8eb-dd4b705da9fe" class="text-block-content">
    <p>You may add more than one tag to a topic if desired.</p>
<p>To remove a tag, click on the X next to the tag you'd like to remove in the list of current tags.</p>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="choose-who-can-see-the-post-once-it-is-published">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Choose who can see the post once it is published.</h2>
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      <img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/009/339/656/original/853ee206-fcdf-4a77-a3ad-690df8f866f5.png" alt="" height="138" width="307">
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    <p>By default, <strong>Everyone in this site</strong> is selected.</p>
<p>Select <strong>Instructors in this site</strong> to create a topic that only instructor users can view.</p>
<p>Select <strong>Only members of selected groups</strong>, and then select one or more groups, to make the topic available to those groups only.</p>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="set-availability-of-the-topic">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Set availability of the topic.</h2>
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      <img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/009/339/657/original/37b79597-5adb-40b6-925d-00fb3140548d.png" alt="" height="265" width="735">
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    <p>Choose if you want to <strong>Make Available Now</strong> (the default option), or <strong>Specify Dates</strong> for your topic.</p>
<p>If you choose to <strong>Specify Dates</strong>, you have three different dates you can choose to set.</p>
<ul>
<li>The <strong>Show</strong> date is when the topic will become visible to site participants.</li>
<li>The <strong>Lock</strong> date is when the topic will be locked so that users can still view the topic, but they cannot post to it any longer.</li>
<li>The <strong>Hide</strong> date is when a topic is no longer visible to site participants.</li>
</ul>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="select-grading-options">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Select Grading options.</h2>
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  <div id="text-content_b979c3c0-4b66-46cd-bc4b-afb9fa46e8de" class="text-block-content">
    <p>If you would like to grade student posts to this topic:</p>
<ol>
<li>Select the check box for <strong>Grade this Topic</strong>.</li>
<li>Enter a maximum point value for the topic.</li>
<li>Select to <strong>Create a new Grading Item</strong> (the default option) or <strong>Associate this Topic with an existing Grading Item</strong> if you have already added a Gradebook item for this activity.</li>
</ol>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="set-due-date">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Set Due Date.</h2>
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    <p>If you would like to specify a <strong>Due Date</strong> for this graded activity:</p>
<ol>
<li>Check the box for <strong>Set Due Date</strong> and enter a date into the calendar field below.</li>
<li>(Optionally) Check the box for <strong>Accept late responses until</strong> and enter a date into the calendar field below. Choosing this option will automatically lock the topic upon the accept until date.</li>
</ol>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="specify-post-options">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Specify Post Options.</h2>
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      <img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/009/339/662/original/b7b2748f-58a7-4431-a7e6-5770969fecb9.png" alt="" height="153" width="535">
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  <div id="text-content_f73185f1-548c-4607-b300-13a60d523716" class="text-block-content">
    <p>In the<strong> Post options </strong>area, choose additional visibility options:</p>
<ol>
<li>Selecting <strong>Pinned</strong> will keep your topic at the top of the topic list so that it is easily visible to site participants.</li>
<li>Activate <strong>Anonymous</strong> to hide your profile name to viewers of your post. <em>Note that instructors and site owners can still view the profile name of the poster even if the topic has been set as anonymous.</em>
</li>
<li>Activate <strong>Anonymous Posts</strong> to hide the profile names of posts that reply to the new topic.</li>
<li>Activate <strong>Student must post before reading responses </strong>if you want to make it so that participants must reply to the topic before reading other replies.</li>
</ol>
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      <div class="step screensteps-section screensteps-depth-1" id="click-publish">
    <h2 class="step-title screensteps-heading">Click Publish.</h2>
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      <img src="https://media.screensteps.com/image_assets/assets/009/339/664/original/85041593-db51-4c70-8949-3d6ffc58f6ad.png" alt="" height="59" width="343">
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  <div id="text-content_b6c9e075-136e-41f6-bf80-bde764505cf4" class="text-block-content">
    <p>Once you have finished editing the topic settings, click <strong>Publish</strong> to make your post available to site participants. </p>
<p>Optionally, you may select <strong>Save as Draft</strong> if you are not yet finished editing. Draft topics are only available to the author of the topic.</p>
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